Football Betting for Beginners: What are shots on target specials?

The evolution of football betting and the expansion of peripheral markets continues to change the betting landscape for casual punters. Betting on the shots on target market has been particularly popular over the last couple of years with several firms now going one step further creating markets for ‘shots on target specials’

Here at BettingOdds.com we’ve summarised what exactly this market is all about, what types of bet you can expect to see, which bookies you can place those with a few tips on which players to watch.

Shots on target specials, what are they?

As you may be aware when it comes to betting on football you can place wagers on a certain player to have a number of shots on target in a match. This is its most common form and is for a player to have either one or more, two or more or three or more shots on target. 

Certain firms have now gone one step further and have created ‘shots on target specials’ which allows us to bet on whether a player will have a shot on target with a certain body part, or from a certain area on the field.

Body Parts

Rather than just the standard shot on target, we now have the ability to bet on if a player will have a shot on target with various body parts such as:

• Right foot shot on target

• Left foot shot on target

• Headed shot on target

Areas of the field

It’s not just which part of the players body the shot on target came courtesy of in which we can now bet on. Certain bookmakers have markets where punters can place proposition bets on from where that player's shot on target will come from on the field.

• Shot on target from inside the box

• Shot on target from outside the box

Which bookmakers offer these markets?

At the moment, we find that both Betfair and Paddy Power are the best for the ‘shots on target specials’. The two offer prices on Premier League, Champions League and some other big profile fixtures which allow punters the ability to select if a player will have 1+ or 2+ shots on target, via their selected method. 

Players to watch out for 

Shots from outside the area - Trent Alexander Arnold 

Although he has been injured for the last couple of weeks, Liverpool’s Trent Alexander Arnold is one to consider backing in this market rather than the standard shot on target. The 22-year-old has taken 13 shots in the league this season, 12 of which have come from outside the area (92%) . With the right-back being on free-kick duty for Klopp’s side it could prove profitable to back him for a shot on target from outside the area, if the price is much bigger than the standard shot on target.

Headed shots on target - Harry Maguire

Manchester United’s centre-back Harry Maguire has attempted 15 shots so far in the Premier League this season. 60% of those have come via his head for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side and ‘slabhead’ could be worth some consideration for a headed shot on target when looking at the prices available.

Right foot shots on target - Mason Mount

When choosing players in the shots on target specials market, it is really about comparing that price to that of the standard shot on target for that player. For example, 95% of Mason Mount’s shots this season in the league have come via his right foot. If Betfair were to price him 4/7 for a standard shot on target, and somewhere in the region of 15/8 for a shot on target with his right foot, I would most certainly be taking the latter.

Prices are available with Betfair and Paddy Power for players to have one plus or two plus shots via the stated method or area of the pitch, and I would be looking to compare them to other bookmakers such as Sky bet where possible to help gauge if it’s a price worth backing or not.